


Coffee shop au but make it canon

by magznus



Series: TPP [7]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Coffee Shops, F/F, Fluff, No Angst, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, only soft moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magznus/pseuds/magznus
Summary: The epic story of how Buddy Aurinko and Vespa Ilkay metTPP WLW week day one: first meeting
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko/Vespa
Series: TPP [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639732
Kudos: 11
Collections: READ MORE WLW FIC COWARDS





	Coffee shop au but make it canon

It was getting late in the small cafe on Lapetus, outside the windows you could see the sun beginning to set behind Saturn’s large rings. A young girl stood at the counter wiping out dirty coffee cups that had piled up over the day’s shift. In the dim sunlight, her red hair looked like flames that twisted in two long columns down her shoulders. She hummed quietly to herself as she worked, softly letting her deep voice fill the empty cafe.  
It was still an hour till she was supposed to close up, but most people in the small moon base stopped coming into the shops and restaurants an hour or so earlier. So it was much to her surprise when the bell above the door let out a soft ding.  
She was short, with hair buzzed so that her scalp was visible, and a scowl that looked permanently set on her face. The barista watched as she entered the cafe with slow careful movement. Each step seemed thought out and prepared before she took it.  
“May I help you miss?”  
She looked up almost shocked that someone had spoken to her, “Oh, um…” She looked confused. “I’m sorry, I was just looking around really.” Her voice was raspy and sounded like it hadn’t been used in a while.  
The barista smiled, “You must have come in on the supply ship that came in earlier today yeah?”  
“Yes, I needed a… new start I suppose.”  
“Oh well most people here do, my name is Buddy. Yours?” She held out her hand.  
“Vespa, Vespa Ilkay.” She accepted Buddy’s hand tentatively. “It’s, nice to meet you.”  
Buddy smiled, pulling out one of the cups she had been cleaning. “What’s your favorite? I can make most anything, though we are out of cinnamon.”  
Vespa looked up to where the cafe menu was posted above Buddy’s head “I don’t really have a favorite.” She shrugged.  
“Oh, well my favorite is Marshan hot chocolate. My mother used to make it when I was little, used to put vodka in hers, and steal sips when she wasn’t looking. Sadly I don’t have any vodka but it’s still good.” Buddy smiled as she began to pull out the ingredients.  
“You don’t have to do that!” Vespa followed Buddy down the counter, “I don’t have that much money on me, I probably can’t even afford what you’re making.”  
“Nonsense, I’m not going to make you pay. It’s on the house.”  
Vespa looked like she wanted to object but could tell that Buddy was too stubborn for her own good. Instead, she turned to go sit at one of the booths by the window. Watching Buddy work was calming, she was methodic in the way she mixed the ingredients and moved about in the small kitchen. She had begun humming quietly to herself once again, Vespa smiled as she watched the fiery young woman moving about.  
It took almost ten minutes for the drink to be made, Buddy brought it over to the booth carefully. Vespa noted that she had filled it as full as it could go without spilling on its own. Buddy had placed it on a small tray along with two biscuits, one of which she grabbed for her own once she had sat down.  
“Don’t worry about it,” Buddy said before Vespa could inevitably speak up “These would get thrown out the moment I closed up shop anyways.”  
Vespa sighed, trying to sound annoyed. “You don’t have to do this, you don’t know me.”  
“Yeah well,” Buddy shrugged “I didn’t have anything better to do darling.”  
Vespa didn’t dignify the pet name with an answer, instead busying herself with the drink in front of her. She took a sip of the hot drink, it was a mix of flavors, some of which she had never tasted before. The chocolate was dark and accented by salty undertones, she could something fruity as well though she couldn’t tell what exactly it was.  
She hummed at Buddy as she finished her sip, “This is, it’s good.”  
“Thank you,” Buddy looked proud “I’ve had practice. You’re lucky we had these cookies leftover, they go best with Marshan hot chocolate.”  
Vespa picked up her biscuit and took a bite, Buddy was right the chocolate of the biscuit was slightly lighter than the drink and they fit together wonderfully.  
“So,” Vespa swallowed her bite as she began to talk, “You said everyone here was looking for a new start, is that true even for yourself?”  
Buddy smiled “Well, of sorts. I’m not running away from anything if that’s what you mean. There are...certain things here that I want. That will help me to start a new life.”  
“Is this something found in a Coffee shop?”  
“Ha, no it’s not. But It’s going to take some time before everything is ready. Once I can I’m leaving, this is just a temporary solution.”  
Vespa nodded, “Well I hope you find what you’re looking for.”  
The sun had long set outside, and the cup in front of Vespa was now empty. She took the last bite of her biscuit before standing up.  
“Thank you, for your hospitality. I should probably be going, I’ve already paid for a hotel and I don’t want it to go to waste.”  
Buddy stood up as well, “It was good to meet you Vespa darling, I hope we can meet again soon.”  
***  
It was dark in the corridor as Buddy made her way down, keeping flush against the wall as she moved. The cameras had been disabled and would continue to be down for another hour or so. She moved quietly, a plasma cutter gripped tightly in her hand ready for any disturbance.  
It was well past midnight and the building was supposed to empty except for the few night crew who were scheduled to be in the middle of a shift change. Buddy was on her way to the buildings top floor where she had been told they kept a few valuable’s worth more than the entirety of Lapetus, and probably another moon or two while they were at it. It was the largest building on the base and was owned by a lesser-known billionaire who no one really cared about in the long run.  
As she made her way down the hall it became more obvious that they didn’t expect anyone to really attempt to rob them. There was no real security, easily hackable cameras, public record of the building floor plan that she had found with no hassle. It was a joke really, and there was nothing telling Buddy not to rob them blind and leave as soon as possible.  
The top floor was covered in shiny metal that glittered even in the dark. Buddy had a knapsack tucked into her coat that she pulled out and unfolded, the first few things she found were simply trinkets but they looked to be worth more than their weight in gold. They slid easily into the bad as she made her way through the front room, once finished there she found the door to the main office where all of the best stuff was.  
Picking the lock was easy, childs play really. It was what was inside that threw Buddy for a loop.  
A short woman with buzzed hair was moving around the office, her own knapsack slowly being filled with trinkets and valuables.  
“Vespa?” Buddy’s voice filled the silent room.  
Vespa jumped, spinning around to look at Buddy. The shock in her eyes almost more evident that the bag that she dropped unceremoniously on the floor. For a moment they just stared at each other, two thieves in the night caught in the act.  
“Buddy? What are you doing here?”  
“I could ask you the same thing darling, this isn’t exactly public property.”  
Vespa looked at a loss for words, taking a moment to reach down and pick up her knapsack. She stood up to her full height, staring up at Buddy with a fire in her eyes.  
“I think you know what I’m doing here Bud. And I’m guessing you’re here for the same reason.”  
“Oh, Bud? I think I rather like that darling. And I suppose your right, we are obviously both here for the same reason. It seems we have come to an impasse.” Buddy gestured to the office. “So what do you think we should do now?”  
Vespa looked at the few larger things she hadn’t yet collected in the knapsack. “Well, I did get here first. Any honorable thief would respect that you know.”  
“Oh I’m sure an honorable thief would, but what’s to say I’m honorable darling.”  
“Would you stop that!”  
“Stop what?”  
“Calling me darling! It’s not like you know anything about me.”  
Buddy shrugged, “I know your name is Vespa, and that you are running away from something. I know that you have a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. And I know that you love it when I call you darling, every time I do you get the most adorable blush on the tips of your ears.”  
“I...I do not blush!” Vespa sputtered and Buddy watched as the tips of her ears turned the slightest hint redder. “And what does that prove anyway?”  
“It proves that there is an obvious answer to our little impasse.”  
“Obvious?”  
“Oh yes darling, see I suspect you don’t plan to stay here much longer than I do and any good thief is in need of a good partner in crime. Aren’t they?”  
***  
20 years later  
“Oh, Captain that is just the sweetest story!” Rita Had been sitting on the edge of her seat the entire time Buddy had been telling the story. Her hand had been wrapped tightly around Juno’s forearm for just as long. “I can’t believe you two met on Lapetus of all places! Well that moon is practically a ghost town now from what i’ve heard and ya know they did a whole stream special where-”  
“Rita!” Juno interrupted “It’s Buddy’s storytime, not yours.”  
“Oh right! I just got so excited is all.”  
“It’s quite alright Rita” Buddy laughed “It’s my favorite story as well.”  
Peter stood from where he had been sitting with his legs crossed underneath of himself, “Well I don’t know about anyone else, but nothing is better after a great story than a goods night sleep.”  
Rita looked up at him confused, “I’ve never heard that before.”  
“Well Rita,“ Juno smiled also standing “There is no time like the present to learn something new.”  
Peter and Juno were the first to head to bed, quickly followed by the Rita and Jet. Buddy smiled and turned to Vespa sitting squished between her and the armrest.  
“It really is a wonderful story isn’t it darling?” She laughed as Vespa’s ears turned the same shade of red they always had at the endearment.  
Vespa humphed, “They are all just a bunch of saps.”  
“Yes well so are we, my love.”


End file.
